Delicate guitar strumming heralds the start of David M. Western's 'Child Mind', the indie artist's first new music of 2022.
The title track of his debut album (out 24 June), the Melbourne-based artist penned 'Child Mind' as a memoir about being a young person living in a small town (as he brings to life moments from his own childhood 'growing up with no one around for miles').Honest, slightly quirky and stripped-back alt folk meets laidback indie rock as Western's lyrics hark back to classic songwriters of yesteryear (John Prine, Bob Dylan, Gillian Welch).
"I wrote 'Child Mind' as a memoir about being a young man growing up in a small town," David says.
"I abandoned a 'woe is me' sentiment and just penned down many of my observations and experiences from my time spent in those earlier years.
"I still come back to the lyrics of this song as I feel transported when I listen to it."
Ahead of the song's release tomorrow, scenestr is thrilled to premiere 'Child Mind' today. Enjoy.
"I feel like 'Child Mind' is the boldest and most sobering I've been with my songwriting," adds Western.
"I feel the song is quite graphic lyrically and illustrates the mental and physical isolation that one can feel growing up.
"I heightened this idea by calling on experiences from my past, and by shaping the song in such a way that you delve deeper and deeper into that state of mind."
David also workshopped the song from its original presentation.
"We had recorded a really rocky version of this track, but the story kinda got lost and I wasn't being transported in the way I felt the song had done when I'd played it live on my own," he says.
"So the version you hear here is much more stripped back with very select instrumentation. I think it works."
David M. Western 2022 Tour Dates
Thu 2 Jun - Gem Hotel (Melbourne) with Baby VelvetThu 9 Jun - Gem Hotel (Melbourne)
Thu 16 Jun - Gem Hotel (Melbourne) with Ben Wright Smith
Thu 23 Jun - Gem Hotel (Melbourne) with Jim Lawrie
Thu 30 Jun - Gem Hotel (Melbourne) with Annie Rose-Maloney
